Tormek 2000

[dhansmeyer64@gmail.com]

My grinding wheel just broke into two pieces.
Can it be glued together?
Even gluing it there is a chunk missing that cuts the useable grinding width to half of the wheel.
Is there any way to fix this?

[Ken S]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings, however, I believe the fix is a new wheel. 

Ken

[dhansmeyer64@gmail.com]

Yeah, I bit the big one and ordered a 1200 grit diamond wheel along with the MB-100.

[Ken S]

David,

The DE-250 is an excellent choice for the final sharpening stages. Do not add pressure if it seems slow cutting; diamond wheels are designed to cut with low pressure.

You may eventually wish to supplement your 1200 grit wheel with a coarser grit for initial sharpening. I like the DC-250 360 grit wheel for initial work.

Enjoy your new wheel!

Keep posting.

Ken

[ega]

How did the old wheel break?
Possibly someone's way of telling you to buy a new wheel!

[dhansmeyer64@gmail.com]

I did successfully glue the wheel back together and it runs well except for the piece that I couldn't find to put back in.  I graded the wheel and it stayed together.  I was wondering if i could mix up some of the dry material that comes off with the grading with some glue and patch the wheel. I used some of the gorilla glue that expands into the pores of the material.  I know I could never use the wheel for finish grinding but it might be usable for rough grinding.
Ken, I have read your advice on diamond wheels and have used some on an old Makita grinding wheel.  I bought 8" diamond disks and attached them to the top of the grinding wheel using a wooden bushing I made for the center of the grinding wheel and I use a hanging bucket of water to provide a steady stream of water.  But I find the Tormek a much better system.

[dhansmeyer64@gmail.com]

To Ega:
I broke the old wheel trying to take it off a rusted shaft. I had spent days trying on and off to remove the wheel from the shaft I finally found a steel wheel with a hole the same diameter of the larger part of the shaft. Now that I had full support on the back side of the wheel I hit it with a hammer as I had been doing but I guess I should have waited to use a press. I broke in three pieces and I only found the two big ones.

[ega]

To Ega:
I broke the old wheel trying to take it off a rusted shaft. I had spent days trying on and off to remove the wheel from the shaft I finally found a steel wheel with a hole the same diameter of the larger part of the shaft. Now that I had full support on the back side of the wheel I hit it with a hammer as I had been doing but I guess I should have waited to use a press. I broke in three pieces and I only found the two big ones.

Thank you for satisfying my curiosity. I'm happy to say that when my Tormek shaft rusted and seized it was only the bearing that was destroyed. Your experience underlines how unfortunate it was that Tormek chose to use chromed mild steel instead of stainless. I assume that you have now replaced your shaft.

[Ken S]

"Your experience underlines how unfortunate it was that Tormek chose to use chromed mild steel instead of stainless."

Your statement does not tell the full story. Yes, the original shafts were not stainless steel. However, Tormek chose to use only stainless steel shafts in 2006. In 2010, Tormek introduced the stainless steel EZYlock shaft. In contrast, when the latest clone was introduced just a couple years ago, it was still using regular steel, not stainless. (I obtained this fact by emailing the company's tech support.)

In the rusted shaft/nut/stone cases I am aware of, several owners have honestly stated that the grinding wheel was left in a filled water trough. I have not read cases where the owner fastidiously removed the wheel from the water trough between sharpening sessions and regularly regreased the nylon bushings as recommended.

I do not mean to imply that there was no rust problem with the pre 2006 non stainless shafts. However, I do not think it is fair to blame Tormek for the whole rust situation thirteen years after they switched to stainless. I have no idea how many pre2006 Tormeks are still in service using their regular shafts, some having been given excellent care, many not. Upgrading to a new stainless shaft seems a wise long term maintenance decision.

Ken

[dhansmeyer64@gmail.com]

Ken, you are correct, I must take all the blame for the rusting of the shaft because as you stated I did not remove the water from the machine after use.

[Ken S]

No blame, just life experience. We learn and march forward. (The march is made easier with stainless steel shafts.

Ken

[jeffs55]

Just an FYI concerning stainless steel. At least some of it will rust. The kind Tormek uses might not, I do not know but be aware that not all stainless steel is rust proof. The kind used on Walther TP 22 handguns will rust.

[John_B]

Just an FYI concerning stainless steel. At least some of it will rust. The kind Tormek uses might not, I do not know but be aware that not all stainless steel is rust proof. The kind used on Walther TP 22 handguns will rust.

All steels will corrode given the proper conditions. Depending on the alloy some are more resistant than others. This is why it is always a good idea to wash and dry knives soon after use. Oxidation on the cutting edge while imperceptible dulls the blade. This is another reason to steel the blade with a smooth steel prior to each use. The shaft will eventually show some corrosion if left in a warm wet environment for a long time.

[ega]

"Your experience underlines how unfortunate it was that Tormek chose to use chromed mild steel instead of stainless."

Your statement does not tell the full story. Yes, the original shafts were not stainless steel. However, Tormek chose to use only stainless steel shafts in 2006. In 2010, Tormek introduced the stainless steel EZYlock shaft. In contrast, when the latest clone was introduced just a couple years ago, it was still using regular steel, not stainless. (I obtained this fact by emailing the company's tech support.)

In the rusted shaft/nut/stone cases I am aware of, several owners have honestly stated that the grinding wheel was left in a filled water trough. I have not read cases where the owner fastidiously removed the wheel from the water trough between sharpening sessions and regularly regreased the nylon bushings as recommended.

I do not mean to imply that there was no rust problem with the pre 2006 non stainless shafts. However, I do not think it is fair to blame Tormek for the whole rust situation thirteen years after they switched to stainless. I have no idea how many pre2006 Tormeks are still in service using their regular shafts, some having been given excellent care, many not. Upgrading to a new stainless shaft seems a wise long term maintenance decision.

Ken

Ken S:
Thank you for this. Tormek are fortunate to be defended by you; I have never seen a statement by them as to this admittedly historic issue.
The Handbook advice was that re-greasing would cure noisy running and so far as I am aware the danger of rust was not mentioned in this context.
I always removed and cleaned my trough at the end of each session. Where I went wrong was in letting the machine go unused for a period without first "winterising" it.
I solved the problem fairly simply by making up a new stainless shaft and bearings which have proved perfectly satisfactory in service. As indicated above, I have now upgraded to the Tormek shaft because of the potential advantage of the EzyLock nut.

[Ken S]

Ega,

Thank you for your very thoughtful reply. I have a collection of different editions of the Handbook. While I have found it a valuable reference, I do not look at it wearing blinders. The essential parts of the handbook were written many years ago by Torgny Jansson. He did a fine job, however, very little has been changed since the original writing. The coverage of grinding wheels illustrates this. The last time I checked, the SB and SJ shared only two paragraphs. I am still waiting for a good discussion about diamond wheels and/or the newly discovered benefits of flat grinding.

I find the stagnation of the handbook especially frustrating because editing the online version would require no printing costs. Before I leave this topic, I will state my hope that eventually the handbook will include two volumns: Volumn I being the original work of Torgny Jansson and Volumn II being the knowledge acquired since he wrote the original handbook. As much as I want up to date information, I would not want to see the original handbook lost. It reflects the original thinking of the inventor.

One of my longtime regrets is that I never developed machinist skills. I commend you for making your own replacement stainless shaft and bushings. In the ten years that I have been a Tormek owner and forum member, I have seen many notable advancements, both from Tormek and from the forum. I look forward to seeing much more innovation.

Ken